Windows Volume Licensing misunderstanding

[nobitakun]

Hello;

This is my first post, I hope to be lucky and somebody can help

My problem is about the understanding of the Volume Licensing procedure through KMS. I've been reading all day about it and I found out many things that I didn't know at all, but in any website I visited I got the answer for the following questions:

When you buy a Volume License, how do you count what you need? I mean, for example, I have a stock of 120 computers which I want to install Windows 7 Professional x64 (let's say those computers don't have any current license at all). But I have more than 120 users, because the company has two shifts, morning and afternoon. It's not exactly about 2 users per computer, just let's count that there are more users than computers, because the users can use one day one computer and the next day change to another different computer because it's free and nobody is using it in that shift. Totally random I mean.

What I should tell Microsoft? I want a Volume License key for 120 computers? or I want a Volume License for x number of users?

My second doubt is how those limits work. I mean, if I deploy the image with the Volume License to those 120 computers now and in two years I want to clean the computers and re-apply the clean base image to make the computers be fresh again, does that count for the limit?, I would have 240 PC's as for license count?

I don't know how to explainit well since I don't know how it works, because I've been reading that one KMS host has no limits about activating but for my knowledge it makes no sense because I could buy a Volume License to meet the minimum threshold and use it for thousands of computers.

And my third and last doubt is, if a KMS Host can activate unlimited computers, why to have 6?, I've read that the transfer of data is about of 250bytes per computer, I think a sole machine can afford to activate thousands of computers at once. Again, for my knowledge it makes no sense to have 6 KMS hosts, even on large companies.

Thank you so much for your help!!!

 

[torchwood]

can get you part way there.

1 licence = 1 comp, (the number of users per comp is irrelevant to MS)

Re-applying an image 2/3 years later doesn't matter either

 

[nobitakun]

So, when you buy a Volume License you buy it for a number of computers. But then, how your KMS host knows how many licenses you bought? I mean, it's internal, without contacting Microsoft, so, as I said, you can buy 50 licenses and use 1000 computers, because there's only the limit of not being fewer than 25. Or else I don't understand how internally works.

 

[torchwood]

My understanding is that MS back counts from the server(s)
Comp ID ( x X) >>> Server ID (x X) >>> MS, therefor they know how many comps and servers are being used, ie current licences in use, and if you exceed the purchased number, they know.

Roy

 

[nobitakun]

Mmm, I've been reading that only MAK uses Microsoft servers, even if you deal with VAMT. KMS are totally inside your corporate network, so nothing is sent to Microsoft.

But maybe what you say makes sense, perhaps there's a backdoor that sends info to Microsoft which they don't explain at all, suspicious though.

 

[torchwood]

they do not disclose how they check

Roy